Description:

The Armfield RA2 Unit represents a model of an Air Conditioning system by demonstrating the
effects of essential Air Conditioning processes: cooling, heating, humidifying and
dehumidifying. The effect and relationships of the primary processes involved in air handling
systems can be investigated. The RA2 Unit is designed so that students can simulate different
environments and perform measurements to allow Psychrometric data analysis.

The RA2 is a bench-top unit which comprises of a square ventilation duct mounted on a mild
steel support frame. The duct is made of clear acrylic so all components are clearly visible: air
fan, air preheater, humidifier tube, chiller/dehumidifier heat exchanger and air re-heater. The
duct consists of 4 main parts: Left-Hand (LH) assembly, Right-Hand (RH) assembly, Fan
assembly and Louvre assembly.

An axial fan moves the air to be conditioned through the duct. Heating elements are used to heat
the air. Humidification is provided by steam delivered through a tube from a boiler. The
refrigerating capacity is generated by an evaporator (heat exchanger) which is connected to the
refrigeration unit. The refrigeration unit and boiler are located underneath the duct.

Temperature and humidity sensors record the temperature and relative humidity at every stage of
operation. The air flow rate is determined using an air velocity transmitter. An acrylic Louvre is
located at the exit from the duct.

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Axial Fan

The axial fan moves the air through the duct. The speed of the fan may be controlled to give
different air flow rates. The fan must be on when both the pre-heater and re-heater are on to
avoid heat damage to the acrylic duct during operation.

The fan is protected with a guard, which prevents objects from reaching the blades.

Front view of fan assembly

Pre-heater and Re-heater

The pre-heater comprises two electric elements of 200W each, for a total power of 400W. It is
located downstream of the fan in order to preheat the air flowing through the evaporator. In the
second part of the duct, after the evaporator, there is a re-heater (200W) which can be used to
reheat the cooled or cooled and dehumidified air. The elements are arranged at an angle to give
efficient heat transfer to the air stream. Air sensing thermostats are incorporated in the duct
above the heater elements to provide overheat protection.

Heating Coils

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Evaporator

The refrigerating capacity of approximately 500W at 20C is generated by an evaporator, which

is part of a compact refrigeration system. The refrigeration unit is used to cool and dehumidify
the air stream. The evaporator consists of a direct-expansion coil operated with a thermostatic
expansion valve. The evaporator is clearly visible within the ventilation duct, and the rest of the
refrigeration unit- the condensing unit- is placed just underneath the duct.

Air passing across the evaporator fins is cooled as the refrigerant flowing through the tubes
absorbs heat and is boiled (evaporated). Refrigerant flowing through the coil tubes is controlled
by a thermostatic expansion valve mounted at the inlet to the evaporator coil. This valve
automatically feeds just enough refrigerant into the coil for the refrigerant to be completely
converted (boiled) from liquid to gas. The valve is controlled by a temperature-sensing bulb
mounted on the coil outlet (suction) connection.

The evaporator itself is complete with an angled draining tray at the bottom. During the
dehumidification experiment, condensate can be collected and measured with a graduated
cylinder.

Evaporator Assembly

Refrigerant

This equipment includes a sealed unit containing refrigerant R134a (Also known as: HFC-134a;
1,1,1-2 Tetrafluoroethane; Norflurane; Norfluran). This is a common refrigerant introduced to
replace CFC (chloro-fluoro-carbon) refrigerants such as R-12. R134a is colourless, non-
flammable and non-corrosive with a very faint odour, and is safe under normal use as described
in this manual. See the safety section at the front of this manual for additional information.

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Condensing Unit

The Condensing Unit, located below the ventilation duct, incorporates a compressor and a
condenser. The compressor is used to compress gaseous refrigerant leaving the evaporator, and
in the fan cooled condenser the refrigerant gives away the heat gained in the evaporator. The
Condensing Unit also incorporates a refrigerant collector, filter/dryer, sight glass and high/low
pressure cut-out for safety purposes.

Refrigeration Unit Assembly

Humidifier

Humidification is provided by a water boiler of 5L total volume. Steam is generated when the
water is boiled using the electric element, (2kW). The boiler is made of plastic and includes a
tube which delivers steam to the air duct. It also includes a drain valve, and can be refilled
manually through the filler cap and refill lance. Distilled water is recommended in order to avoid
scaling of the vessel and duct.

The boiler incorporates a cut-out switch, which prevents the electrical element from overheating
if the water level falls too low. If this occurs, wait 2 minutes and refill boiler, the cut off will
self- reset and steam can be produced again with 5 -12 minutes.

Power to the boiler heaters can be remotely controlled and monitored using the Armfield RA2
Software.

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Air Velocity Sensor

The air velocity in the duct is measured by the air velocity transmitter. This operates on the hot
film anemometer principle, using special thin film. It has very good accuracy at low air
velocities. The working range is 010m/s and the response time can be up to 4 seconds at
constant temperature. Therefore it is important to obtain steady conditions in order to have stable
velocity measurement. Steady state in the system is usually obtained after about 15 minutes.

The velocity transmitter is mounted in the duct in the best position to measure the average air
velocity. Care should be taken to ensure the correct angle between the sensor head and the air
flow.

Air Velocity Sensor

Temperature / Relative Humidity Sensor

Temperature and Relative Humidity (T/RH) sensors are located at every stage of operation.
There are 4 T/RH sensors in total: at the duct inlet, before the evaporator, after the evaporator
and at the duct outlet. Temperature and Relative Humidity is measured by the sensor. The RH
sensor is a water resistant type so that it can operate in the range from 10 to 100% Relative
Humidity.

Temperature/Relative Humidity (T/RH) Sensor Block

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Data Logger/Equipment Controller and Software

The Armfield RA2 Air Conditioning Unit is designed to be operated using the RA2-306 software
supplied with the equipment. The RA2 Air Conditioning Unit must therefore be connected to a
suitable PC running the RA2-306 software (or an equivalent program created by the student).
The RA2 software also allows data logging of experimental results, and performs some standard
calculations on the data.

Unit Dimensions:

Length - 170 cm

Depth - 44 cm

Height - 60.5 cm